Floor protector



May-31, 1949. w. E. WHITE 2,471,708

FLOOR PROTECTOR Filed July 10, 1947 INVENTOR- Patented May 31, 1949UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,471,768

FLOOR PROTECTOR Wilson E. White, Pontiac, Mich.

Application July 10, 1947, SerialNo. 760,175

6 Claims.

This invention relates to means for the protection of floors from thecondensation forming on water pipes passing therethrough. It has beencommonly observed that while the drain pipes, such as of sinks, passthrough the floor therebeneath, the condensation forming on the outsideof the drain pipe frequently collects on and about the opening of thefloor therebeneath, not only creating an unsightly appearance butdamaging the floor and is particularly destructive to linoleum and otherfloor coverings. The metal or rubber drainage pipe from an ice box, forinstance, has often been the cause of the destruction of a ply-woodfloor to such an extent that a portion of the floor has had to bereplaced.

It is, therefore, the object of the present invention to provide asimple, cheap and easily applied device which will prevent thedestructive efiects of such condensation and permit it to flow freelydown the pipe and through the floor without actually'coming into contactwith the floor or its covering.

Obviously a hole considerably larger than the drain pipe may be providedin the floor for clearance to prevent direct access of moisture to thefloor, but this does not necessarily ensure that the pipe will not comeinto contact with the edges of the said opening. Furthermore, such anopening in itself would be unsightly and undesirable. Still further, ithappens often that, where an elbow or joint is provided in the pipeabove the floor, a certain amount of dripping may take place from theelbow at some little distance from the wall of the vertical pipe itselfand this dripping of moisture onto the floor, of'course, is.

equally objectionable. The present invention takes care of thatcondition also.

More particularly, the said invention aims to provide a spaced sleevearound the vertical pipe passing through the floor whereby an air spacebetween the sleeve and the pipe itself will serve to prevent moisturefrom collecting on the outside of the sleeve itself due to the fact thatthis air space prevents the sleeve actually attaining the same lowtemperature as the pipe; and I propose to provide this sleeve with adrip collar 'or funnel serving the purpose of collecting any moisturewhich may find its Way to the outside of the upper portion of thesleeve, whereby such dripping will be conveyed through suitable drainageopenings to the interior of the sleeve so that it may travel down thewater pipe itself and not come in contact with the floor. This dripcollar also is intended to serve the purpose of closing the excessopening in the floor about the sleeve itself so that the opening doesnot, of necessity, have to be closely dimensioned to fit the collar.

Still further objects or advantages additional or subsidiary to theaforesaid objects, or resulting from the construction or operation ofthe invention as it may be carried into effect, will become apparent asthe said invention is hereinafter further disclosed.

In carrying the said invention into efiect, I

may provide the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafterdescribed, by way of example, having reference to the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:

' Figure 1 shows a section of flooring through which the vertical wateror drain pipe passes, said pipe having applied thereto a protectivedevice embodying the said invention;

Figure 2 is a cross section taken on a plane indicated by the line 2-2in Figure 1 showing the protective device in plan; and

Figure 3 is a perspective View of the said protective device removed.

' Similar characters of reference indicate similar parts in the severalfigures of the drawing.

"l0 indicates a floor having an opening l0 through which a drain orwater pipe ll passes in the usual manner, the said opening being ofsubstantially greater diameter than the said pipe I I. The pipe H isshown as being provided at its upper end with an elbow I3, such as iscommon practice. which is in turn connected with the pipe l4 set in asomewhat slanting manner for the purpose of ensuring that'condensationwhich may form thereon flows directly to the elbow l3 and does'notsimply drip from the horizontal pipe at various points along its length.Obviously,

the condensation forming on the pipe 14 and on the elbow I3 may dripfrom the flange I3 of the said elbow in addition to forming and passing'down the outside of the vertical pipe H.

To prevent any of this dripping or flow of condensation' reaching thefloor itself, instead of passing directly down the outside of the pipeII to the basement or other point of suitable disposal, I provide theprotective device shown which comprises a tube 15 of an internaldiameter materially greater than the external diameter of the pipe IIand adapted to be positioned around the said pipe H as clearly shown inFigures 1 and 2. The pipe II in these figures is shown as beingeccentrically disposed to the tube l5 merely because, in actualpractice, such a position is liable to be assumed and the result must beaccounted for, inasmuch as should the tube ll touch the tube l5 in themanner illustrated then that condensation which collects on the pipe Hat the point of such contact would naturally flow over the upper edgeand down the outer surface of the tube 15.

Any moisture or condensation which does so gain access to the upperouter surface of the said tube I5, as in the manner stated, is caught bya funnel or conical flange IE3 mounted upon the said tube l5 preferablysome distance below the upper end thereof.

I prefer to make this tunnel of such a height that the rim of the funnelwhen in position will be materially below the upper end of the tube l5,so that if an arrangement of piping at an angle such as that shown, or abent pipe, be inserted through the tube l5 the horizontal orapproximately horizontal part of the pipe cannot come into contact withthe upper edge of the funnel It.

That portion of the tube which is located within the funnel I6 isprovided with a plurality of ports I'i through which any watercollecting inside the said funnel may pass to the interior of the saidtube [5 and thus flow down the encircled pipe H as is desirable. It willbe quite clear that any drip from the flange l3 (or from the flange l3")of the said elbow will also be caught by the funnel l6 of the tube l5and directed into the interior of the tube I5.

As the tube l5 has usually no contact with the pipe H (or at most only aline contact therewith should the pipe ll be so eccentric thereto as toactually touch the wall of the tube l5), the air space between the pipeII and the tube I5 prevents a temperature condition arising in the tube15 which would result in sweating or condensation about the outside ofthe tube I5, or on the outer surface of the funnel l6; so that it willbe clear that the floor through which the tube H passes is completelyprotected against the ravages of such condensation. Further, the funnell6 not only positions and supports the tube l5 within the hole providedtherefor in the floor but also acts as a floor plate concealing the saidhole 10 which may be considerably larger than the tube l5 as shown inFigure 1.

The simplicity of the device and its ease of application are immediatelyapparent and its efficiency in protecting the floor is very high. Thedevice, of course, is intended to be made in various sizes to suitdifferent sizes of water or drain pipes; and as these are quite wellstandardized, this presents no difiiculty from a manufacturingstandpoint as the tube and the funnel Hi can quite readily bemanufactured from standard fabricated parts already to be found on themarket.

This invention may be developed within the scope of the following claimswithout departing from the essential features of the said invention, andit is desired that the specification and drawing be read as being merelyillustrative of a practical embodiment of the same and not in a strictlylimiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. As a means for protecting a floor from condensation from a pipepassing through an opening therein, a tube of larger bore than the out-4 side diameter of the pipe adapted to be placed in spaced relationaround said pipe and through the floor opening, and a funnel-shapedflange on the upper end portion of and draining into said tube.

2. As a means for protecting a floor from condensation from a pipepassing through an opening therein, a tube of larger bore than theoutside diameter of the pipe adapted to be placed in spaced relationaround'said pipe and through the floor opening, and a funnel-shapedflange on and somewhat below the upper end of said tube, said tube beingported to provide drainage from within said flange to the interior ofsaid tube.

3. As a means for protecting a floor from condensation from a pipepassing through an opening therein, a tube of larger bore than theoutside diameter of the pipe adapted to be placed in spaced relationaround said pipe and through the floor opening, and a funnel-shapedflange on and somewhat below the upper end of said tube, said tube beingported to provide drainage from within said flange to the interior ofsaid tube, the upper end of said tube rising materially above the upperouter margin of said flange.

4. As a means for protecting a floor from condensation from a pipepassing through an opening therein, a funnel-shaped floor plate adaptedto seat in such opening, and a tube of larger bore than the outsidediameter of the pipe supported in said floor plate and adapted to beheld thereby in spaced relation around said pipe, said floor plate beingafforded drainage to the interior of said tube.

5. As a means for protecting a, floor from condensation from a pipepassing through an opening therein, a funnel-shaped floor plate adaptedto seat in such opening, and a tube of larger bore than the outsidediameter of the pipe supported in said floor plate and adapted to beheld thereby in spaced relation around said pipe, said tube projectingupwardly at the point of its connection with said funnel and beingported to provide drainage from said funnel to the interior of saidtube.

6; As a means for protecting a floor from condensation from a, pipepassing through an opening therein, a funnel-shaped floor plate adaptedto seat in such opening, and a tube of larger bore than the outsidediameter of the pipe supported in said floor plate and adapted to beheld thereby in spaced relation around said pipe, the upper end of saidtube extending materially above the level of the periphery of saidfunnel, said tube being ported to afford drainage from said funnel tothe interior of said tube.

WILSON E. WHITE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 695,312 Hickey Mar. 11, 19022,320,187 Lawler May 25, 1943

